Health Care and Anthropology in the Inner Himalayas

In June, I’ll be traveling to the Inner Himalayas with Himalayan Health Exchange on a medical/dental mission to the Rupin Valley (see below). Along with other anthropology professors, I’ll be teaching about non-Western healing traditions, medical anthropology and other aspects of health and illness. Having managed volunteer surgical missions abroad, trekked to remote villages in Nepal as an assistant on a vaccination team and taught cultural and medical anthropology for ten years, I’m excited about this opportunity to combine all of my experience on this amazing trek to the Himalayan mountains!

This medical-dental expedition/trek takes us to a remote tribal region of the Western Himalayas. Team members will depart from various international gateways on their way to New Delhi. A combination of rail and road takes us from New Delhi to Shimla where we will begin our overland journey towards the Greater Himalayan Range. After an exciting trek of several days we will reach the settlements and tribal villages of ‘The Rupin Valley’. A high pass of 11,800 feet connects these villages to the outside world. This region remains cut- off for 6 months of the year due to heavy snow that accumulations on Chansal, leaving the native population with little or no access to health care. Our team will run clinics in 4 different sites, totaling ten clinic days, and provide care to approximately 1,500 patients. There will be 9 days with lectures covering medical anthropology, Hinduism, Tibetan culture and environment and globalization.

Please Note: This is a moderately strenuous trek that involves extended outdoor camping. Altitude can make this a challenging experience. As a team member you must be in excellent physical shape and be willing to adjust, adapt and accept changing weather and camp conditions.